Supply Cut Leaves NATO Trucks Stranded in Pakistan

Southern Supply Route Severed After NATO Attacks Along Border

Responding to the overnight attack by NATO warplanes on Friday, Pakistan has cut off all NATO supply routes through its country, effectively blocking about half of the supplies brought into Afghanistan for the massive occupation force.

The move has left NATO supply trucks stranded, and fearing attacks from the assorted militant factions in the nation. Though some are downplaying the seriousness of the matter, the northern supply route through Russia is far more expensive, and Russia has restricted the types of supplies that can be brought through it.

And indeed, the northern supply route isn’t operating without a hitch either, as an explosion earlier this month closed the Uzbekistan border crossing. The efforts to make the northern routes more accessible in case Pakistan was cut off may have made some progress, but they are by no means a replacement for a sea route through Karachi.

The US is loudly pressing Pakistan to end the border closure, but the Pakistani government doesn’t seem to be in a position to do that, with anger over the Friday attack still boiling over and NATO shrugging off the killings.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.